Close race to the finish

An update on the Faraday Mill OSTAR

Noon positions

Boat Name	Lat	Long	DTF	Rating	Comments
MONOHULLS
Open 40 (Pen Duick)
HAYAI	42 33N	52 57W	854.7
ROBOSAIL	50 16N	10 46W	2,549
VM MATERIAUX	49 37N	22 25W	2,096		Retired
ROARING FORTY	51 20N	21 16W	2,125		Retired
SPIRIT OF CANADA	51 43N	20 15W	2,163		Retired
LA PROMESSE	50 49N	18 55W	2,244		Retired
DESTINATION CALAIS	49 45N	14 34W	2,408		Retired
IRC 1 (Gipsy Moth)
OLYMPIAN CHALLENGER	43 15N	59 24W	548.2	1.152
ATLANTIX EXPRESS	42 15N	53 54W	810.1	1.311
ECHO ZULU	43 28N	49 40W	986.0	1.109
VIJAYA	47 06N	37 39W	1,499	1.056
CHIVAS III	45 39N	35 16W	1,585	1.045	Retired to Azores
OCTAVUS	50 18N	08 43W	2,624	1.063	Dismasted in Kinsale
BLUE SHADOW	49 03N	04 47W	2,790	1.121	Retired
IRC 2 (Jester)
TROIS MILLE SABORDS	41 24N	46 58W	1,128	0.998
REALITY	48 54N	33 33W	1,662	0.937
DE FRANSCHMAN	51 37N	18 30W	2,238	0.978	Retired-Broken Shroud
SUOMI KUDU	49 50N	14 04W	2,408	0.941	Retired-Problem With Forestay
ADRIENNE MAY	50 06N	13 39W	2,435	0.982	No Report Received
SEA BERYL	50 12N	07 45W	2,662	0.939	Retired to Plymouth
IRC 3 (Eira)
AMELIE OF DART	49 28N	41 23W	1,350	0.843
AYESHA OF ST MAWES	43 34N	34 45W	1,641	0.899
CHIMP	49 27N	38 57W	1,467	0.909
QUEST II	47 42N	34 35W	1,622	0.932	No Report Received
TAMARIND	43 14N	45 56W	1,161	0.892
ZEAL	43 12N	44 10W	1,205	0.922	Iridium Not Working
MULTIHULLS
Open 50 (Manureva)
ACANTHE INGENIERIE	50 03N	17 50W	2,283		Retired to France with Damaged Knee
BRANEC IV	39 48N	65 10W	300.8
MOCRA 1 (Three Cheers)
COTONELLA	43 04N	63 35W	376.4	1.653
HOUD VAN HOUT	50 00N	45 33W	1,211	1.063
MOLLYMAWK	49 08N	06 20W	2,715	1.627	Retired at Plymouth
SHOCKWAVE	45 07N	39 04W	1,416	1.478
SPIRIT	41 54N	63 21W	461.7	1.510
UP MY SLEEVE	51 41N	12 31W	2,462	1.422	Retired-Heading For Cork

The leaders in the Faraday Mill OSTAR now have the next mark of the course of Nantucket Island firmly in their sights. The noon position update today shows race leader Roger Langevin on the 45ft trimaran Branec IV to have 200 miles still to go to reach the island, while Pierre Antoine on Spirit has 290 and Italian Franco Manzoli on Cotonella 306 miles. Manzoli has made particularly good progress in the north sailing in 20 knots ENEerly winds.

However the race is still far from over, particularly as overnight and into tomorrow a depression is set to develop over Cape Cod and then head out to sea where the forecast shows it hovering over George's Bank. This will mean headwinds for Branec as she tried to make the last step towards the finish line and light headwinds later tomorrow for Langevin's two rivals to the north.

British Vendee Globe hopeful Steve White is still going well on Olympian Challenger. Lunchtime today he is passing Sable Island off Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile OSTAR veteran Michel Jaheny in Chivas 111 has retired due to boat damage during the recent storm. He reported that he was heading for the Azores.